Basketball: Sharpshooter Rossi to commit to Cal

Just got off the phone with Alex Rossi, a 6-5 1/2 wing from New Trier High in Winnetka, Ill., who told me he was about to call Cal coach Mike Montgomery and commit to the Bears.

Rossi, who will begin his high school senior season in the fall, spent the weekend in Virginia at the NBA Players Association Top-100 Camp, where he made a campus visit to Virginia. He also had been considering Stanford and Notre Dame, but his coach, Scott Fricke, told me Rossi feels like Montgomery’s system is a good fit for him.

“Montgomery runs a lot of set plays for shooters. I think he thinks he fits in very well with that,” Fricke said. “He is an excellent shooter. He comes off screen very well looking to shoot. He’s gotten a lot better with the ball. Just an unbelievable kid.”

Rossi, who would become Cal’s second commitment to the freshman class of 2010, averaged 18 ponts per game last season. He is rated as the nation’s No. 70 overall prospect by the recruiting service Scout.com, and No. 120 overall by Rivals.com. Scout.com slots him as the No. 15 small forward in the class of 2010.